Luke 16:14-31

The Law and the Kingdom of God

14 ¹The Pharisees, who were ²lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ³ridiculed him.

15 And he said to them, "You are those who ⁴justify yourselves before men, but ⁵God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men ⁶is an abomination in the sight of God.

16 ⁷"The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ⁸the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ⁹everyone forces his way into it.^[a]

17 But ¹⁰it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Divorce and Remarriage

18 ¹¹"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 "There was a rich man who was clothed in ¹²purple and fine linen and ¹³who feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And at his gate ¹⁴was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

21 who desired to be fed with ¹⁵what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 The poor man died and was carried by ¹⁶the angels ¹⁷to Abraham's side.^[b] The rich man also died and was buried,

23 and in ¹⁸Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ¹⁹saw Abraham far off and Lazarus ²⁰at his side.

24 And he called out, ²¹'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ²²cool my tongue, for ²³I am in anguish in this flame.'

25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that ²⁴you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'

27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house--

28 for I have five brothers^[c]--so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'

29 But Abraham said, 'They have ²⁵Moses and the Prophets; ²⁶let them hear them.'

30 And he said, 'No, ²⁷father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear ²⁸Moses and the Prophets, ²⁹neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Cross References

• 1. [Luke 11:39; Luke 20:47]
• 2. 2 Timothy 3:2; [1 Timothy 6:10]
• 3. Luke 23:35
• 4. Luke 10:29
• 5. 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Proverbs 21:2
• 6. Proverbs 16:5
• 7. Matthew 11:12, 13
• 8. See Luke 4:43
• 9. [Luke 15:1]
• 10. Matthew 5:18
• 11. See Matthew 5:32
• 12. Esther 8:15; Revelation 18:16
• 13. [James 5:5]
• 14. [Acts 3:2]
• 15. [Matthew 15:27]
• 16. Luke 15:10; Matthew 18:10; Acts 12:15; Hebrews 1:13, 14; See Luke 12:8
• 17. [John 13:23(Gk.)]
• 18. See Matthew 11:23
• 19. Matthew 8:11, 12
• 20. [See ver. 22 above]
• 21. ver. 30; John 8:33, 39, 53
• 22. [Zechariah 14:12]
• 23. [Isaiah 66:24]; See Matthew 25:41
• 24. [Luke 6:24; Job 21:13; Psalms 17:14]
• 25. ver. 31; Luke 24:27; Acts 26:22; Acts 28:23
• 26. [John 5:45-47]
• 27. ver. 24
• 28. [See ver. 29 above]
• 29. [Matthew 28:11-15; John 12:10, 11]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or everyone is forcefully urged into it
• [b]. Greek bosom; also verse 23
• [c]. Or brothers and sisters